As You Like It

The Nashville Shakespeare Festival performed As You Like It for their very first show in 1988. As Executive Artistic Director Denice Hicks says in her program notes, she was in the audience and “fell in love with the spirited, free, outdoor production… and now I will close out my tenure with the same romantic musical comedy that captured my heart that lifetime ago.”  

Shakespeare’s plays have survived the English Civil War, the American Revolution, the American Civil War, and two World Wars (just to name a few). The joyful timelessness of As You Like It reminds us that there is more to life than stressful election years, and that laughter and comedy often reveal as many profound truths about human nature as tragedies do.

Michael Gomez Photography

This play is a pastoral comedy Shakespeare probably wrote in 1599, around the same time as Julius Caesar. While I’m a fan of “an honorable man,” As You Like It is a lot more fun, which is probably why it’s one of his most frequently performed comedies. Like many of his comedies, this one involves disguise: after the usurping Duke Frederick banishes his daughter’s Celia’s best friend Rosalind, the two young women run away together, Rosalind disguised as a man. They hide in the forest of Arden, to which Orlando, the man Rosalind is in love with, has also fled to avoid being killed by his brother. Confusion, love, and flirting abounds and it all ends happily. This play has probably one of the most straightforward Shakespeare plots and this performance is not much longer than two hours, including the fifteen-minute intermission. 

I attended the September 7th performance at OneC1TY, which was a Saturday night with perfect weather: 70 degrees when we arrived, there was a light breeze and I was able to wear a jacket comfortably for the duration of the performance (always check the forecast before attending and bring a hoodie). My friends and I sat at the back, on the low metal bleachers which provide a view over the lawn chairs and blankets of the audience closer to the stage. We forgot to bring any sort of cushion, so if you’re going to sit on the bleachers, plan accordingly. 

There are food trucks and a well-stocked concession stand as well as drinks. We saw several people with the Yazoo Shake’s Beer, a delicious lager made specifically for the Nashville Shakespeare Festival. The bathrooms, or “Posh Privies,” are as convenient, clean, and posh as ever. Convenient and free garage parking is directly beside the venue, with clear signs directing drivers where to go.

Galen Fott as Duke Frederick

Director Cammy Harris’s choice to set the play in 1950’s America is fun, providing for a variety of costumes and for a great musical beginning. The tyrant Duke Frederick sings a number on stage with a cigarette in hand, the image of a mobster crooner, while Celia and Rosalind sing backup. The mobster vibes mesh with his illegitimate power and this is added to by a bit of comedy: an actress planted in the audience pretends to film the set on her phone and is chased off by some of his thugs. What a smooth way to combine the character, the setting, and an audience reminder all in one!

Music is used frequently in this production, more diegetic than not. Often it is used to introduce a new scene, with the character appearing on stage with an acoustic guitar. One such moment gave Orlando (Gerold Oliver) a chance to demonstrate his improv skills. He came down the aisle singing and playing just as a woman attempted to dart out from her seat. Without halting his stride Oliver casually said “How ya doing” as she passed him, making everyone laugh.

As You Like It doesn’t restrict its comedy to witty dialogue but also has action: the hero Orlando fights an established wrestler in a match at Duke Frederick’s court. That scene serves as the moment that he and Rosalind fall in love at first sight, but it is also a moment for Josh Kiev to shine as his opponent Charles. Kiev hams the moment up delightfully, posturing like he’s in the WWE. Since stage wrestling between actors wearing fragile microphones already restricts the realism of physical combat, it’s clever to make the match as staged as possible.

My only critique of the show is that Duke Senior is played by a woman (Denice Hicks), but they don’t change her title to Duchess, despite referring to the character as “mother” and “she.” Actors playing characters of another gender has always been part of the Shakespearean tradition and is common for the Nashville Shakespeare Festival. Here I just wish they had done it more consistently: since there’s already another duke and they talk about the two in relation to each other, the inconsistent gendering of the role makes it more confusing at times than it needs to be.

Elyse Dawson as Jacques, Michael Gomez Photography

Bethany Dinkel’s costumes are great, using looks from a variety of 1950’s social strata. One costume adds a lot of humor to the character: Jacques is a comic relief, a pretentious pseudo-intellectual in the banished Duke Senior’s court. Dinkel chose a beatnik outfit for this character, making a host of comic mannerisms available to Elyse Dawson’s portrayal. 

The cast is excellent and has great chemistry with each other, especially Gerold Oliver (Orlando) and Dani Grace Nissen (Rosalind). They are charming and have such hopeful energy that you don’t even mind them falling in love at first sight, and their scenes of extensive flirting are very cute.  Kate Drury does a fantastic job as the best friend Celia, teasing and supporting Rosalind as only a close friend of years could. Galen Fott owns the mobster singer role of Duke Frederick, giving him a layer of show business grime that adds to the character. Denice Hicks is authentic and likeable as Duke Senior, cheerful and uncomplaining in her rural banishment.

Dani Grace Nissen and Gerold Oliver, Michael Gomez Photography

AG Williams gets a lot of laughs as Touchstone, and even small roles like that of Adam (played by Alan Lee) and Charles (the wrestler mentioned above, played by Josh Kiev) shine with moral strength and ostentatious ego, respectively. 

The happy ending is given oomph with a musical number sung by the whole cast, The Monkees’ “I’m a Believer.” The night I attended a large part of the crowd joined in the dancing, giving us all a burst of energy.

This season’s Summer Shakespeare is Denice Hicks’ final as Executive Artistic Director for the Nashville Shakespeare Festival, after decades of service developing it into what it is today. To quote As You Like It,

“All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women merely players;They have their exits and their entrances; And one man in his time plays many parts…”

We look forward to seeing what future roles Denice Hicks will play in Nashville’s theater community. Thank you for more than thirty years of enriching our local arts scene!

The Nashville Shakespeare Company will continue their Summer Shakespeare at OneC1TY and Franklin’s Academy Park until September 29. For more information, see Summer Shakespeare 2024

Next to Normal: a Compelling Depiction of Mental Illness

On September 5th, I was able to see the final dress rehearsal of Street Theatre Company’s production of the musical Next to Normal. In the intimate black box of the Barbershop Theater we sat only a few feet away from the six actors, able to witness every nuanced facial expression. Before the play began, the director, Alicia Haymer, spoke for a moment and reminded us that it was perfectly alright to emote and that actors live off of feedback. Thank goodness for that, because I cried (and laughed) multiple times during the performance. 

Jennifer Whitcomb-Oliva, photo credit Andrew Allen Morton

Next to Normal follows the struggle of a mother and wife, Diana Goodman (Jennifer Whitcomb-Oliva), with mental illness and the effect of the illness on her whole family. In the second act, Diana undergoes electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in hopes of getting better. It helps in some ways, but also makes things worse as she suffers memory loss after the procedure. 

Before I go any further I want to warn you that there will be major spoilers in this review. If you don’t want spoilers and are just curious whether you should see the play, here is your answer: go see the play. 

Next to Normal begins with Diana waiting up for her son who comes home in the middle of the night. She sings, “It’s the seventh night I’ve waited up ‘til morning imagining the ways you might have died.” It’s clear as the play goes on that she’s suffering with mental illness and has a lot of anxieties. However it isn’t until about halfway through the first act that the audience realizes just how serious her illness is when it is revealed that her son, Gabe (Jalen Walker), is a delusion, and that he died 17 years ago as a baby. This traumatic death greatly contributed to her mental illness. 

The play does a phenomenal job of showing the audience the perspectives and feelings of each character. You empathize with Diana who is still struggling with her grief and mental illness, but you also empathize with her husband, Dan (Leonard Ledford III), who is trying so hard to hold the family together. When Diana sings that Dan doesn’t know how she feels, he pleads back with her, “Tell me what to do. Tell me who to be, so I can see what you see.”

Ella Claybrooks, photo credit Andrew Allen Morton

And then there’s their daughter, Natalie (Ella Claybrooks) who constantly has to put her own needs aside because her mother is still fixated on the death of her brother. She’s so used to being on the outside that she’s completely taken aback when Henry (Jayden Murphy), a boy at school, notices her and tells her that he’s noticed her for years. At one point, Natalie sings a song called “Superboy and the Invisible Girl,” in which she describes how her mother almost idolizes her dead brother while she is unseen in her own house. Diana’s gut-wrenching response to this is “you know I love you. I love you as much as I can.” After Diana attempts suicide, her doctor recommends ECT and gets consent from both Diana and Dan. This results in memory loss that’s so acute, Diana doesn’t remember her home, Natalie, her life with Dan, or Gabe. She appears to be doing better mentally until she begins to slowly recover her memories and has a breakdown as she experiences the pain of losing Gabe all over again. The play ends in a way that feels very real: there’s no clear resolution, but there is hope for the future. Although the family will never be normal, perhaps they will be something next to normal.

Diana is a difficult role to play as she really runs the gambit of emotions and mental states. Whitcomb-Oliva is phenomenal as her character leaps from mania, to anger, to sorrow, and finally to hope. The pain in her voice when she remembers Gabe’s death in the song “How Could I Ever Forget,” is nothing short of heartbreaking. Even my stoic husband shed a tear!

Leonard Ledford III, photo credit Andrew Allen Morton

Dan is my favorite character, and Ledford III gave me goosebumps in some of his songs. After Diana’s suicide attempt, Dan is cleaning up the blood that she’s left on the ground and sings “I’ve Been,” a song about how hard he’s trying, how he doesn’t know how to help her, and how he doesn’t know how he could be alone. Ledford III’s voice is strong, and yet he has a beautiful fragility to his tone, as though he could break at any moment.

DaJuana Hammonds, photo credit Andrew Allen Morton

DaJuana Hammonds is perfectly cast as Dr. Madden. In the original script, this character is played by a man, but I quite liked that it is played by a woman in this production. The portrayal of this character can change how the audience is meant to view therapy and mental health professionals. Hammonds’ expressions and tone of voice are perfect for a Psychiatrist. She immediately gained my trust and respect. In fact, I liked her so much that I was shocked when she recommended ECT (although ECT is still practiced and has helped many people, it really does seem like a dismaying proposal at first). I would be fascinated to see how the whole play would change if this character was played with a cold and detached manner.

The characters Gabe, Natalie, and Henry, are all teenagers, but I was surprised at just how young the actors were; Walker (who plays Gabe) is a senior in high school. However, if I was worried how these young actors would stand-up to the more seasoned actors, I had nothing to worry about. Each one commands the stage in their own way. Walker is perfectly cast for Gabe, with a voice that is purely angelic. I loved the juxtaposition of his sweet voice along with the fact that every time he appears on stage, the actors are experiencing moments of extreme emotion or distress.

Jayden Murphy, photo credit Andrew Allen Morton

Murphy as Henry, the sincere and kind boyfriend, is positively overflowing with charisma. There were times when other characters would be speaking, but I would still be drawn to look at him instead. He delivers his lines in such a sweet and often humorous way, making the audience fall in love with him along with Natalie. Claybrooks has a very difficult job as an actor because Natalie is very angry with how she is treated and how her life has been (as Diana sings at one point “Your life has kind of sucked, I think”). An angry character can be difficult to relate to or to find likable. However, Claybrooks ability to be vulnerable in songs like “Superboy and the Invisible Girl” draws the audience in. A point of criticism I have about the blocking of this song is that Claybrooks is far away from the audience while Diana’s character is still in the foreground. While I’m sure this is an intentional way to help hammer home the idea that she is invisible, this is Natalie’s first and biggest moment to describe how she is feeling. I wish she had been front and center so we could experience her emotions along with her.

Jalen Walker, photo credit Andrew Allen Morton

Despite that small criticism, the blocking is generally fantastic as they have very little space and almost no props. The costume design by Alexis Grigsby is quite well done. Dan primarily stays in his trousers and button-up shirt, while Diana’s outfits change with her mental state. At the end, when she has walked away from her doctor and then tells Dan that she is leaving him, she is dressed in bright, bold colors, showing her to be hopeful and strong. 

The Street Theatre Company’s website describes this play as follows: “the story tackles the stigma surrounding mental health within the BIPOC/Black community and its impact on family dynamics.” I was interested to see how mental illness would be portrayed in the BIPOC community, and how the stigma differs from other communities. However, while the cast in this particular production is black, the play does not actually discuss race at all. I do appreciate the universality of this story and the knowledge that any person of any race can suffer from mental illness. 

Next to Normal runs from September 6-21 and there is limited seating, so get your tickets now: https://www.streettheatrecompany.org/.

Waitress to Begin Nashville Rep’s 40th Season

“We’re thrilled to be producing Waitress as the kickoff to our 40th Anniversary Season,” says Nashville Repertory Theatre Artistic Director, Micah-Shane Brewer. “This show blends a fun and heartfelt story with the incredible music and lyrics of Sara Bareilles… offering a beautiful blend of humor, heart, and hope.”

Waitress centers around Jenna, a small-town waitress and expert pie-maker trapped in a loveless marriage. Jenna’s life takes an unexpected turn when she discovers she is pregnant, forcing her to confront her deepest fears and desires. As she navigates her way through this life-altering situation, Jenna finds solace in her baking and the support of her fellow waitresses, Dawn and Becky. A baking contest in a nearby county and the arrival of a handsome new doctor offer Jenna a tempting recipe for happiness, but she must decide whether she has the courage to pursue it.

“This whimsical, uplifting and (dare I say) sweet musical reckons with the stuck-ness so many of us feel when we realize that the person we thought we might become is not the person we are,” says Director Lauren Shouse. “And when we think ‘what if I’ll never be anything more than what I have already become,’ things can get messy as we try to open up and forge a new path. I love the real human journeys in this musical that blend with quirky humor to ultimately teach us how the power of individual resilience can break cycles and create new possibilities.”

Waitress will be at TPAC September 13 – 22, 2024. For tickets and more information, see nashvillerep.org.

Next to Normal at the Barbershop Theater

Next to Normal is a 2008 rock musical that won three Tony Awards and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Dad’s an architect; Mom rushes to pack lunches and pour cereal; their daughter and son are bright, wise-cracking teens, appearing to be a typical American family. And yet their lives are anything but normal because the mother has been battling bipolar disorder for 16 years. The story focuses how the disorder affects her life and her family. Street Theatre’s production innovates on the play, dealing with the stigma surrounding mental health within the BIPOC community, challenging societal norms and shining a light on the struggles many face behind closed doors.

Next to Normal is at the Barbershop Theater September 6-21. For tickets and more information, see https://www.streettheatrecompany.org/next-to-normal



Songs of Resistance

Marc Ribot coming to Riverside Festival

On Sunday, September 8th, renowned guitarist Marc Ribot will be appearing at the Riverside Revival in a duo performance featuring multi-instrumentalist Shahzad Ismaily and with special guest Buddy Miller. His appearance is part of a tour performing tracks from his 2018 release Songs of Resistance that have been “radically rearranged” plus “new material, improvisation, and whatever else reaps urgency.” Many of these tracks are blatantly and purposefully against Candidate Trump and the ideals of the Republican party. Importantly, Ribot’s work is politically and markedly informed by history.

For example, in 2018, famously reclusive Tom Waits leant his voice to Ribot’s version of “Bello Ciao” with an accompanying video featuring scenes of modern resistance. This song likely found its origins as a folk song in the rice fields of northern Italy where women of the lowest social class would carry out the extremely tiring work of caring for the young spring rice plants, spending the entire day in water two feet deep, barefoot, and bent over weeding the soil. The song, like the work, is purposefully slow, monotonous, gloomy and moving.

In the second half of the 20th century the song took on its modern shape and lyrics, embraced as a partisan hymn and dedicated to the partisans of the Italian resistance in World War Two. Since, the song has been recorded in nearly 50 different languages from Creole to Chinese, to Hungarian. Most recently, Mitski released a version on her youtube channel. As Mitski relates, the power of the song is in its direct, simple expression:

This is the flower of the partisanBella, ciao, bella, ciao, bella, ciaoThis is the flower of the partisanWho died for freedom.

This is just one of the selections from Songs of Resistance that Ribot will be performing on the 8th. Other tracks may include civil rights tunes, and other songs relevant the current political landscape but derived from history and tradition. Hopefully they’ll include, “Knock that Statue Down” (referring to recent events in Charlottesville) and  “Rata de Dos Patas,” a Spanish denunciation of a certain politician and whose original singer’s name is withheld to avoid reprisals. If you agree with Ribot’s ideals, this concert promises to be politically inspiring, historically informative and emotionally stirring. Personally, I can’t wait. Tickets are still available here: https://www.riversiderevivalnashville.com/calendar/marc-ribot-songs-of-resistance-feat-shazad-ismaily-and-buddy-miller

Coming this Month:

Nashville Sonido Latino: September 2024

(Versión en español aquí)

GIOVANNI RODRÍGUEZ & 12 MANOS
Rudy’s Jazz Room 
Every Monday 
9:00 PM 
Tickets $19.44+ 
Social media: Instagram 
 
Every Monday night at Rudy’s Jazz Room, the Caribbean sun comes alive with the vibrant beats of the congas. Giovanni Rodríguez, a versatile artist with Dominican roots now based in Nashville, leads this project alongside some of the city’s top musicians. The venue offers a dance floor for this event where you can move to the colorful rhythms of salsa, bachata, and Latin jazz.   
 
TUMBAYÉ 
Plaza Mariachi 
Monday, September 2 
7:30 – 9:00 PM 
Saturday, September 14 
5:30 – 7:00 PM 
Free Entry 
Social media: Instagram 
 
Salsa, merengue, and bachata are just some of the rhythms you’ll enjoy with this vibrant group bursting with flavor. The voice of Tatiana Liary (Puerto Rico), known for her urban salsa style, paired with the unmistakable percussion of Manuel Manotas (Venezuela), creates an explosive combination that will have everyone dancing.

MARROCKO Marrocko (Rock en Español) - Plaza Mariachi
Plaza Mariachi
Friday, September 6
7:00 – 8:00 PM
Saturday, September 28
5:30 – 7:00 PM
Free Entry
Social media: Youtube Instagram Facebook 

This duo from Cali, Colombia, brings a cutting-edge style that fuses Latin pop and rock with indie folk nuances. Guitarist and producer Alex Zúñiga, alongside vocalist Guile Gadel, infuse their compositions with the freshness of Spanish-language rock and contemporary lyrics. Their album “Mar de Rock” alternates between romantic and introspective themes. Marrocko has captivated Nashville audiences with performances at the Nashville Shores Waterpark Latino Fest 2023 and a high-energy guitar solo during a halftime show for Nashville, SC. 

BRAZIL INDEPENDENCE DAY CELEBRATION 
Plaza Mariachi 
Saturday, September 7 
12:00 – 8:00 PM 
Free Entry 
 
Celebrate Brazil’s Independence Day with a vibrant carnival of unique experiences. The event will feature a Brazilian market offering traditional food and crafts. Thea Danos and Alex Murphy, Will Barro Trio, Paulo Oliveira, Samba Fusion, and Alfredinho & Kids Characters will light up the stage with the country’s music and dance at this spectacular event. 
 

ESLABÓN ARMADO
Toro Event Center 
Saturday, September 7 
8:00 PM 
Tickets $60+ 
 
This Mexican-American group, specializing in regional Mexican music, began seven years ago when the Tovar brothers and Gabriel Hidalgo took an interest in studying and perfecting the sierreño and norteño styles. They gained popularity on social media platforms like YouTube and TikTok, eventually signing with DEL Records in 2020 and releasing hit singles like “Con Tus Besos” and “La Trokita.”
 

RITMO SABROSO
Plaza Mariachi
Saturday, September 7
8:30 – 10:00 PM
Free Entry
Social media: Facebook Youtube 

True to their name, Ritmo Sabroso is a band that gets everyone on their feet, dancing to the beats of salsa, merengue, and cumbia. These genres have infused generations of celebrations in Latin America and beyond. This group brings together seasoned musicians from Venezuela, Colombia, Puerto Rico, and the United States, representing the rich cultural tapestry of these genres. This event is not to be missed for those seeking a tropical night out this weekend!

FIESTAS PATRIAS
Plaza Mariachi
Sunday, September 15
10:00 AM – 11:00 PM
Tickets: $15 

The Independence celebrations continue, with Mexico hosting this time, joined by Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica, in a grand and unprecedented festivity. There will be three stages for musical performances, a reenactment of “El Grito,” and various local vendors offering a delightful array of Mexican and Central American flavors. 

ALISON BRAZIL AND THE ROOTS OF RHYTHMMusic for Seniors Free Daytime Concert w/ Alison Brazil & Roots of Rhythm Tickets, Tue, Sep 17, 2024 at 1:00 PM | Eventbrite
Looby Center Theater
Thursday, September 17
1:00 – 2:00 PM
Free Entry 

Hailing from Louisiana, Alison Brazil has captivated international audiences in South America and Asia with her unique style of Louisiana Latin soul and deep, resonant voice. Her music is a blend of cultural influences and her global experiences. This time, she will perform at the Frank Dycus Legacy Senior Concert Series, sponsored by United Health Care and the Tennessee Arts Commission. 

KARINA DAZA No photo description available.
Geodis Park
Wednesday, September 18
6:00 PM
Tickets $26.55+

New York-born with Colombian roots, Karina Daza has embarked on an extraordinary musical journey, blending jazz, pop, Latin music, folk, and classical sounds. Her English and Spanish lyrics reflect a rich tapestry of experiences from her warm childhood to conquering new territories in the U.S. and beyond. Karina will open the Nashville SC vs. Chicago Fire FC match with her musical performance. 

DOS PRIMOS DE CUIDADO
Plaza Mariachi
Friday, September 20
8:00 PM
Tickets $80+

El Flaco and El Mimoso will go head-to-head in a regional Mexican music showdown that promises to be an exciting and entertaining spectacle. Luis Ángel and Luis Antonio López have built their solid careers with their authentic banda style. Songs like “El Que Te Amó,” “Hasta La Miel Amarga,” and “En Esta Vida No Se Pudo” have propelled them to massive success among Mexican and U.S. audiences. 

BLUE ASHES DUO DANISH-COLOMBIA HARD ROCK DUO 'BLUE ASHES' DROP THIER DEBUT EP 'WALKING SOLO' AND I GOT TO CHAT WITH THEM ALL ABOUT IT RIGHT HERE! – MusicOTFuture
Plaza Mariachi
Saturday, September 21
4:30 – 5:15 PM
Free Entry 

This duo from Colombia and Denmark combines hard rock and rockabilly rhythms with a cutting-edge style. Guitarist Alex Zúñiga and vocalist Shila Mariposa bring their signature flair to classic rock covers and their original compositions, featured in their album “Checkmate.” 

TWANGUERO
Analog at Hutton Hotel
Wednesday, September 25
6:30 – 11:30 PM
Tickets $19.02+ 

Diego García “Twanguero” is a celebrated Spanish guitarist whose versatility and mastery have captivated audiences worldwide. His style blends Spanish classical guitar, Latin rhythms, country, rockabilly, jazz, and even surf music. Diego has been able to accompany renowned artists from the Latin American and Spanish music scenes for over three decades. 

STEPHANIE URBINA JONES Stephanie Urbina Jones
Grand Ole Opry House
Friday, September 27
7:00 PM
Tickets $53+

Stephanie has embarked on a journey to reconnect with her Mexican roots, paying tribute through her unique “Honky Tonk Mariachi” style. Born in El Paso, TX, and now based in Nashville, she has shared the stage with artists like Willie Nelson and became the first performer to bring mariachi music to the Grand Ole Opry. 

LOS TIGRES DEL NORTE Los Tigres del Norte on New Single 'Aquí mando yo," MSG Show
Bridgestone Arena
Friday, September 27
8:30 PM
Tickets $76.48+

The iconic Mexican regional band, known for pioneering the “narcocorrido” genre, will make their next tour stop in Music City. Their exceptional career has earned them six Grammy Awards and twelve Latin Grammy Awards, attracting audiences from five continents and participating in over 40 films. With 30 million records sold, Los Tigres del Norte has become an international symbol of the rich music from Northern Mexico. 

ROLAND BARBER: CELEBRATING THE SPANISH TINGE!
Nashville Jazz Workshop
Saturday, September 28
7:30 PM
Tickets $38.16

Nashville native trombonist Roland Barber has captivated the jazz scene with his exquisite blend of South American and Caribbean rhythms. For Roland, it’s essential to push the boundaries of jazz by incorporating the vibrant sounds and rhythms that embody Hispanic culture. His successful career has seen him share the stage with Wynton Marsalis and perform with the Duke Ellington, Arturo O’Farrill, and the Spanish Harlem orchestras. 

CAMILA MEZACamila Meza - Wikipedia
Ascend Amphitheater
Monday, September 30
8:00 PM
Tickets  $54.35+

Chilean singer and guitarist Camila Meza has taken the New York jazz scene by storm with her musical fusion of South American rhythms and American popular song. Her exceptional talent has led her to perform in iconic jazz venues like The Village Vanguard, Jazz Standard, and Duc de Lombards (Paris). Her extensive U.S. tour will stop in Nashville, where she will share the stage with Arab singer Arooj Aftab.
 

Nashville’s Carmen

The first production of Nashville Opera’s delightful 2024-25 season, The Ties that Bind, is Georges Bizet’s wonderfully Romantic Carmen, a brutal tale of love, freedom and exoticism–a work that is considered by many to be the most popular opera ever written. Set in 29th century Spain, this French opera depicts the rural exoticism of Spain and its ruthless world (this is a forerunner to verismo) in a rich orchestral fabric that is often considered to be Bizet and France’s answer to Richard Wagner and his German Dramas. More recent productions have taken some liberties with this setting, the most recent Met production featured, according to the New York Times, “cutoff jeans and trucker hats instead of flamenco skirts and castanets.” In 2021 Atlanta set the opera in a dive bar, The Threepenny Carmen, to critical acclaim. Wherever Director Hoomes places the production, it’s success will likely live or die on the cast’s voices, and in that department, things are looking wonderful!

Marina Costa-Jackson

The title role for Carmen is typically set for a lyric mezzo-soprano (a middle or half soprano) whose vocal range is slightly lower than a coloratura’s and what is lacking in agility is made up with a smooth and richly colored voice that can actually be more powerful than other soprano types. This role was created by Célestine Galli-Marié at the premiere in 1875 and was highly controversial for its time. Indeed, Carmen represented a new type of heroine–not pure, innocent or overly virtuous but instead a dangerous femme fatale whose pursuit of freedom takes priority over the lives of the men she uses to achieve it. The stability of her character, her sheer consistency of her intentions, at the height of the drama she exclaims “I never lied!” is given as the cause and source of the tragedy.

Some of the greatest sopranos have portrayed Carmen over the last century, Maria Callas, Teresa Berganza, Leontyne Price or my personal favorite Agnes Baltsa. More recently Elīna Garanča has won acclaim for her portrayal that emphasizes the character’s fiery independence and sensuality, but in a warm, humanizing way that heightens the tragedy. Nashville’s Carmen, Marina Costa-Jackson, hails from a musical family, and she trained at the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia. While Nashville will be her debut of the title role, she has performed as Floria Tosca in Kansas City (where critics raved about her “…polished, well-articulated voice,” and her acting as “flighty, volatile, self-indulgent, jealous and obsessive…”) and she has played Mimi in La Bohème (Los Angeles). She is quite well prepared for the power and the tragedy of Carmen and I am quite excited to see and hear her sing the famous Habanera.

Zach Borichevsky

If Carmen is a character lacking a narrative arc, Don Jose’s character features a spiral into moral bankruptcy, from an honest, if ambitious, soldier, to a cold-blooded murderer. He is the powerless spinto tenor whose part demands a brassy instrument that is just a little heavier than a typical tenor. Similarly, some of the greatest tenors have portrayed Don Jose, including Luciano Pavarotti, José Carreras, Plácido Domingo and more recently Jonas Kaufmann. The great Zach Borichevsky returns to the Nashville stage to portray Don Jose, and many of us will remember his wonderful Rodolfo from Nashville’s 2022 La Bohème when he “brought goosebumps.”  While Don José’s Flower Song from act two is quite famous and worth watching for, the key to this and any production’s success will be the tension between the two characters. Whether it is the opening seduction of the Habanera, the “sealing the deal” of the Act 2 Seguidilla, or the cold tragedy of the grand finale, it is the tension between the two characters that will define the night—and is the thing to listen/watch for.

Finally, the supporting cast is quite excellent and full of some of Nashville’s favorites, including —Kathryn Lewek (the famous Queen of the Night) as Micaëla, and Sarah Crigger as Mercedes among others. In all, one can expect beautiful music, an engaging staging and a tragic romance from Nashville’s Carmen, what else should one expect? Carmen will be performed on September 26th and 28th at TPAC’s Jackson Hall. Tickets are available here.

Clue: A Comedy Coming to TPAC

One of my favorite comedies is Clue, the 1985 cult-classic with a cast of top-notch comedic actors including Christopher Lloyd, Madeline Kahn, Michael McKean, and Tim Curry (even if you don’t watch the show at TPAC, you should certainly stream the movie). 

Inspired by the classic board game and abounding in fast-paced comedic dialogue, slapstick, and violent murder, Clue is a dark comedy about a mysterious group of guests arriving at a creepy victorian manor on a stormy night. Revelations of blackmail and murders and suspects abound, leaving the viewers to question whodunnit? Was it Mrs. Peacock in the study with the knife? Or was it Colonel Mustard in the library with the wrench?

This adaptation of the film was written by the author of the original screenplay, Jonathan Lynn, and is directed by Broadway director Casey Hushion (Associate Director for Mean Girls).  

Clue makes its Nashville premiere at TPAC’s Jackson Hall Sept. 10-15, 2024. For tickets and more information, see Clue | TPAC®



A Portrait

Wayne Oquin: Composer and Educator

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The Nashville Symphony has just released a new CD titled “Organ Concertos” under the American Classics label at Naxos. On this CD is a piece titled “Resilience” by Wayne Oquin that I had the pleasure of hearing live back in February of 2023. To my surprise I was sitting right behind Oquin at the concert and was able to shake his hand afterwards. One thing led to another and in May of that year I was headed towards Lincoln Center Plaza, where Oquin is the Chair of Ear Training at Juilliard, for a meeting with him. It was Jury week at Juilliard and students buzzed anxiously throughout the halls waiting to sum up their semester’s work for their teachers. Oquin met me in the lobby and we took the elevator to the fifth floor where we proceeded to enter the classroom where he does most of his teaching.

The next several hours of conversation gave me a glimpse into his life and work as both a composer and an educator.  Oquin began his affiliation with Juilliard as a doctoral student and in 2008 he won the Richard F. French Prize for best dissertation. That same year he was appointed to the faculty. He has served in numerous positions from the Juilliard Extension school to now serving as the Chair of Ear Training as well as spending a year as Visiting Professor at Juilliard’s campus in Tianjin. As with many professors that I know, he carries a heavy load of classes —over sixteen this past year— ranging from ear training, music theory, to a course on Beethoven’s Heroic Period.

During our meeting, Wayne showed me some videos he had filmed to accompany a lecture on music education he was giving for the Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA) conference. These short videos depicted daily life inside his classroom. Filmed in the very room I was sitting, fourth-year undergraduate students were going through a flurry of ear training exercises. In every video the students are conducting and keeping a strong beat going while solving musical problems: some videos show students singing solfège scales up and down, Oquin directing the students to a new scale at the last moment; another depicts a clef reading exercise: students go around the room dictating the next note as the clef changes every beat. The next video, titled “Leader – Follower” has one student reading out a rhythmic pattern from music while another student has to repeat back what they just heard. The trick is that the first student does not stop the excerpt once they start. If you are the follower, then you are tasked with taking in new musical information while simultaneously processing and producing material you just heard. The pace in all of these videos verges on frenetic, just fast enough that you feel like you are about to lose control. The pressure is high; accuracy is prized, and you must be on your toes. Oquin explains to me in between the videos “No matter where they are, I try to push them.”

It is clear that Oquin’s goal for the students is to develop fluency with the fundamentals of this musical material. He is pushing the students to know more than just the correct answer, he wants the relevant material to be a part of their vernacular. I noticed a small detail that developed into a trend. Frequently Oquin stops the exercise to correct not technical issues, but musical ones. For example, in an exercise that contained no notes, just rhythmic values, he asks the class to pay attention to how the rhythm of the excerpt informs the musical phrasing. He asserts that even in counting rhythms, the overall musical phrase is still important. “I would like to think that one reason our orchestra delivers is because of this class,” he told me. Watching Oquin teach and talk about his pedagogy with such enthusiasm made me appreciate how desperately we need teachers that champion subjects like these.

Juilliard is in the fortunate position to attract some of the world’s top talent for classical music. With such a student population the professors need to be at the top of their game. Oquin does not water down this material for the students but elevates the students to the level of the material. In these videos the room is set up with the chairs forming a semicircle around the perimeter of the room. There is no second row in which to hide. He told me that at every class, the students know that they will sing a dictation or perform an exercise in front of their peers. Like all good teachers, he expects much from them, but he reciprocates by learning each of the students’ majors and goals for their time at Juilliard.  He told me that it is important for him to know how his students learn and how they best function within the larger group. This allows him to tailor his teaching to the students.

I also got to speak with one of Oquin’s students, Peter Dudek, a first-year master’s student studying Viola. Peter serves as a teaching fellow for Oquin in his music theory classes and I was interested to hear his perspective. One of the first things that Peter said to me was, “His lessons go well beyond the theory curriculum in a classroom setting. I never thought to myself that my music theory professor would become the person that had the largest impact on my musicianship and humanity.” I was taken aback – changing your humanity is a tall compliment for any person. When I questioned Peter on that point, he added that what he finds most profound about Oquin’s classes is that he teaches how to think and approach the music critically. He said that the classes have an open discussion with differing opinions from the students, which enriches the overall discovery of the music. This is helped by the fact that Peter calls him “an extremely effective communicator” as well. But above all else, the thing that Peter stressed to me the most was that Oquin works as hard as he can in every aspect of life. That intensity, Peter told me, has made him want to be the best that he can be.

Peter Dudek with the Ulysses Quartet

Peter said that when he originally made the choice to come to Juilliard in 2019, he did not give much thought to his theory teachers but instead focused on who his primary instrumental teacher would be. After taking Oquin’s class however, Peter told me “Taking Dr. Oquin’s class has been the best decision I’ve made for myself at Juilliard.” This must be a common sentiment because his classes are always waitlisted when class registration time comes around. Peter chuckled and said that even though Oquin is known for making students perform in front of the whole class, they know that at the end of the semester they will walk away stronger musicians. I also spoke with Leslie Ashworth, a doctoral fellow at Juilliard who also serves as a faculty member for the Juilliard Pre-College division in Ear Training and Theory. She told me that she has “had a behind-the-scenes view for two years. If you watch his teaching closely you see he has a reason for every single thing he’s doing and saying, all day long. But what many don’t see is that he’s bringing that same level of intensity and intentionality to his music: crafting, refining, polishing, examining and reexamining every phrase down to the most intricate detail.”

With Oquin’s schedule of teaching, concerts, and conferences, I asked him about his time management and how he schedules his day to take on so many projects at once. He started by saying that during the school year Juilliard demands much of his time. “There’s no question that I’m not able to write as much as another composer without these obligations. But I view my job at Juilliard as a luxury. I don’t have to churn out piece after piece to sustain myself. I’m in a position where I can take on only the pieces that I really want to write and can really spend the time honing the craft.”

Interestingly, I came to know Oquin through his work as a composer, but many inside Juilliard–students and faculty–seem unaware of his work outside of the classroom. Oquin likes to keep it this way. At one point he mentioned that he is an “addict of composition.” Although his oeuvre is smaller, he has produced music that will outlast him, a well-balanced collection of works for all types of ensembles: orchestral, wind band, choral, and chamber. The wind ensemble is a genre that he finds ripe territory for many reasons, chief among them is that he wants quality music to be written for students at an accessible level, and there are many more students in wind ensembles across the country than there are in orchestras. The quality of his music has been recognized: in 2018 he won the National Band Association’s William D. Revelli Award for his Song for Silent Voices, which was written for the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Wind Symphony in the wake of the Parkland shooting massacre.

He has had a number of major successes in orchestral music, and they seem to be accelerating at an exponential rate. One of the firsts came in 2015 with Echoes of a Solitary Voice. This piece originated with composer and conductor Lorin Maazel, who was writing a new work for the Danish National Symphony and their famous Malko Conducting Competition. At the time of Maazel’s death in 2014, the piece was left in a fragmentary form. Maazel’s widow Dietlinde asked Oquin to finish the piece. After looking over the materials Oquin realized that there was not enough musical material for him to bring the piece to its completion. He asked if he could instead take the harmonic and motivic cells that Maazel left behind and use that to compose his own piece. Echoes of a Solitary Voice was the result and was used as the audition piece in the 2015 Malko Competition. The triumph of this piece brought Oquin’s music to worldwide attention – many orchestral directors and managers became familiar with his work.

One of those directors was Carl St. Clair, who leads the Pacific Symphony. St. Clair asked Oquin to write a piece for the Pacific Symphony and that became the compact organ concerto Resilience. A portion of the success of this piece is owed to friend, collaborator, and master Organist Paul Jacobs who has championed the work tirelessly. The Grammy Award-winning Jacobs has been a long-time supporter of Oquin and is a fellow faculty member at Juilliard.

After the successful premiere of the piece, Paul Jacobs brought the piece to the Philadelphia Orchestra and Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin, who enjoyed the piece so much that they opened and closed their 2017-2018 season with the piece, as well as taking it on a European tour. Since then, it was chosen by Giancarlo Guerrero and the Nashville Symphony to be included on their record of American Organ Concertos. These live recorded concerts in Nashville are where I met Oquin. Speaking with Leslie Ashworth again she said: “He wrote this piece in 2015. It has taken nine years for an orchestra to finally record it—not uncommon in the world of new music. But he has works of equal quality that have never been heard outside the concert hall. This is what makes this project with the Nashville Symphony so meaningful.”

When I spoke with Oquin at Juilliard, he reflected on Resilience with a sense of pride. Its success is earned – Oquin has extensively revised the piece between each of its performances. “I didn’t learn my orchestration in a classroom: I learned from doing this with the pros in high-profile venues. It was daunting in a way.” In the high school and collegiate wind band world a piece may be rehearsed 30 times before it is performed. In the professional orchestral world, there is not that luxury of time – a piece may only have two run throughs and 30 minutes of rehearsal before a concert. Oquin said that has taught him to meticulously review every note in every part. Once in front of an orchestra, there is just no time to correct mistakes or provide revisions.

This fixation over the minutest of details was another aspect of Oquin that became quickly evident to me through our conversation. The devil is in the details. For Resilience, that meant revisions and edits between each performance or whenever he could find the time – nights, weekends, even Christmas day. If he wanted a section to crescendo, he thought, how can this be the most effective crescendo? How can I increase the intensity for every beat? For the performances in Nashville, he said that a main goal of his was to get the music to drive forward. He spent hours taking out every unnecessary note; he wanted the economy of notes to drive the piece.

With all this constant tinkering I asked if he has ever felt that some pieces were completed and did not need any further revisions. After all, Songs for Silent Voices had won an award, and he still revised the piece for up to five years afterwards. “Sometimes the details are microscopic, but the details are important to me.” He feels that some of his pieces are complete, especially since they have been published. Inherent in the business model of publishing is that pieces are finished; no publishing house wants to print constant updates, so revisions to existing works can get complicated. Perhaps because of this, Oquin now self-publishes his work on his website, which allows him to edit the pieces when he deems necessary. Nashville’s recording of Resilience is Oquin’s first commercial orchestral recording, which certainly cements that version of the piece. I asked if he planned any further revisions: He smiled.

Towards the end of our conversation Oquin said, “I think that the possibilities of where music can go are vastly greater than what we think.” His life and music are a testament to that. He is one of the sharpest musical minds I know living today, and his obsession with every aspect of music is something to admire. One reason that the name of Juilliard carries weight around musical circles is because of professors like Wayne Oquin. The classroom we had our discussion in was just like any other in the many conservatories that I have been in – student chairs facing a chalk board and a piano. The quality of the professor is what makes a difference. Oquin credits much to his former teachers, not only at Juilliard but at North Shore High School and Texas State University. I leave you with a quote from an article he wrote for the TMEA, titled “Why Teaching Matters.”

The hardest and most rewarding part of my job is maintaining the lofty standards of those who taught me. I find great satisfaction in continuing the legacy of my former teachers. Somewhere in their classrooms I learned to value excellence for its own sake. This is what every music teacher I know is offering the world. It is certainly what I aspire to in my own work. And there’s much work to be done.

As You Like It: Summer Shakespeare is Almost Here

Summer Shakespeare is here again with another comedy, As You Like It. This play holds a special place in my heart since it was the first Shakespeare I ever read. As a young teenager, I remember being so surprised that the seemingly intimidating Shakespeare was so approachable and funny: immortal proof that puns are an irreplaceable part of comedy. The play has love at first sight, love triangles, women disguised as men, and dysfunctional royal families. What else do you need in a comedy? 

The shows start at 7:00, but the gates open at 5:15 for those who like to get good spots early and have time to order from food trucks or eat picnics while listening to pre-concert lectures and concerts. Bring lawn chairs, blankets, or a cushion to sit on the bleachers, and check the weather to see if you’ll need a hoodie by the end of the show. The performance is free, although there’s a suggested donation of $10 (this is a non-profit after all), which can be given via cash or venmo. There are also “Royal Packages” available, which include reserved parking, reserved seating, and a gourmet meal. Besides the many food trucks, the official Nashville Shakespeare Festival tent also sells concessions, which have had great selections and prices the past few years. 

Starting out their Summer Shakespeare performances on August 29th, the shows will be held at two venues: ONE C1TY in Nashville through September 22nd, then at Academy Park in Franklin, September 26-29. Both venues have easy parking, and while in past years I’ve found ONE C1TY to be slightly more crowded, it has had more food trucks and easier access to bathrooms than Academy Park. 

For more information on dates and schedules for food trucks, lectures, and concerts, see Summer Shakespeare 2024.